Breastmilk is perhaps one of the best things a mother can do for her new born baby. Breastmilk is proven to cultivate healthy bacteria in a newborn’s intestinal system which helps the baby absorb nutrients better and boost its immune system development. Also, breastmilk is free! Besides some obvious products that you can gift expecting mothers such as baby bottles, there are some not so obvious ones that can help both moms and babies tapping into this wonderful free source of healthy goodness.
Baby bottles
One or more sets of baby bottles are essential, thus this item must be in the wish list of every mom-to-be. Since a baby may need more than one set of bottles (especially when mom and dad are so busy with taking care of the new little member and don’t have time to clean dirty bottles), you may gift another set of baby bottles without worrying too much whether your gift will be used and appreciated.
The design of baby bottles remains pretty much the same and looks like the Avent bottles above. Playtex came out with a new design – their VentAire bottles and nipples. It’s not a brand new design, just a little change at the bottle neck – kind of curvy – that is believed to promote the semi-upright feeding position pediatricians recommend to prevent ear infections.
Together with baby bottles, a baby bottle warmer is really useful. If the milk is straight from mom, there’s no need to warm it; however, if it’s from the fridge and more likely it is, it’s recommended to be warm before serving to the baby.
Baby bottle warmer
Since it’s not recommended to put baby bottle or baby’s milk directly in microwave, a baby bottle warmer is a great gift, especially for busy moms and dads. The warmer can heat up baby’s bottle and food jar fast, safe and evenly.
Baby bottle sterilizer
Another chore that is pretty much time consuming is to clean the soiled bottles. While the baby bottle sterilizer doesn’t take the cleaning away from your list of chores, it does help assure the bottles you use to feed your new born, whose immune system is being developed and is very vulnerable to germs, are clean and sterile. You may achieve the similar level of sterilization by using the dish washer with certain setting; however, dish washer may miss spots in the small nipples or pacifiers whereas the sterilizer, using the power of steam, can reach every nooks and crannies in the bottles, nipples, pacifiers. Just two minutes and you get yourself a clean set of bottles.
Medela breastpump
I often try to avoid introducing brand name since it would limit the choice of available products out there. However, in this case, Medela is highly recommended. Why Medela? Because hospitals, nurses and lactation consultants recommend their product.
If you are not a stay-at-home mom, a Medela breastpump set is highly recommended. The pump, packaged in an on-the-go tote, is very portable, quiet, discreet and suitable for a daily use. Even if you are a stay-at-home mom, the pump will be very useful as well because you have a life and need to get out to do things like grocery shopping, meeting with friends etc. Medela pump will ensure you have enough milk for the little one when you are there.
Breastmilk storage / organizer
Breastmilk storage is also the must have for those who plan to feed their new born with only or mostly breastmilk. Extra milk can be stored in bottles or bags; however, personally, I think storage bags will work better and save more space in the fridge. Additionally, a breastmilk organizer may also be helpful as the organizer helps keep the frozen breastmilk bags nice and neat and clutter free.